Yesterday, the CT Early Childhood Alliance hosted a Press Conference at the Legislative Office Building opposing a motion filed by the Attorney General’s office to remove pre-school from the 2005 Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding lawsuit. Connecticut has the largest achievement gap in the Country and quality early childhood education is a proven remedy to fix that.
The Early Childhood Alliance and advocates of early childhood, including State Senator Beth Bye and State Representative Gary Holder Winfield, spoke to the long terms implications that this motion would have on educational equity in Connecticut. Although Governor Malloy is an outspoken advocate for early care and education, advocates argued that his governance will not last forever and a lawsuit of this nature will have long lasting implications on funding for early care and education programs in CT.
Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, D-New Haven, said that what this motion tells him is that the state is willing to say the “future of our children in this state is connected to the vagaries of elections. It’s not that I didn’t believe people are serious in their intentions, but elections change things”.
